Every summer the City of Sunderland holds an airshow, and
over three days civilian and military aircraft display over the ocean, in front
of hundreds of thousands of people.

The marketing offers a family day out, and the flying
display is often a small part of the programme, with many people drawn to the
beach, fun fairs, and the fast food, promotional, and toy stalls.

Alongside the consumerism are unarmed combat displays, charities
for wounded soldiers and their families, and real guns for smiling children to
"fire" at their smiling parents, who record the event with their new
model iPhones. Dominating the events are the Army and Air Force Recruitment and
PR teams who target young working class people, prioritizing northern cities such
as Sunderland and other areas that have similarly high deprivation levels.

It all seems like a microcosm of modern life, full of
disturbing and often violent contradictions that seem to pass unnoticed and
unquestioned.

Pictures 2003
- 2016.

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